The goldenface (''Pachycare flavogriseum'') is a species of

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by th ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

. It is the only species (

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

) within the genus ''Pachycare''.

Taxonomy and systematics

The placement of this species and genus within the passerines is uncertain.Del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A. & Christie D. (editors). (2007). '' Handbook of the Birds of the World''. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Lynx Edicions. It has been suggested that it belongs with the whistlers, in the family Pachycephalidae, based on its bright yellow plumage and voice, and the species is sometimes known as the dwarf whistler. Others have suggested placing it with the Australasian robins in the family

Petroicidae The bird family Petroicidae includes 51 species in 19 genera. All are endemic to Australasia: New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand and numerous Pacific Islands as far east as Samoa. For want of an accurate common name, the family is often called th ...

, but the

nest A nest is a structure built for certain animals to hold eggs or young. Although nests are most closely associated with birds, members of all classes of vertebrates and some invertebrates construct nests. They may be composed of organic materi ...

architecture is unlike that of the robin family; in fact, its nests more closely resemble those of the thornbills in the family

Acanthizidae The Acanthizidae—known as Australian warblers—are a family of passerine birds which includes gerygones, the thornbills ''Acanthiza'', and the scrubwrens of ''Sericornis''. The Acanthizidae family consists of small to medium passerine birds, ...

, another family to which it has sometimes been aligned. This relationship was supported by a 2009 molecular study, which placed the species in that family. There are four subspecies: ''Pachycare flavogriseum flavogriseum'', ''P. f. subaurantium'', ''P. f. subpallidum'' and ''P. f. lecroyae''.Gill, F. and D. Donsker, eds. (2020). IOC World Bird List (v 10.1). Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.10.1. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/

Range and distribution

The species is

to the island of

, where it occurs in both Papua and

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

. The preferred habitat of the goldenface is hill and montane forest, between 400 and 1800 m; it is usually commoner in dense forest between 1600 and 1800 m.

Description

The goldenface is a small whistler, around 13 cm in length and weighing 14–19 g. The plumage of the species is striking; the nominate subspecies (''Pachycare flavogriseum flavogriseum'') has a slate-grey back, tail, wing, cap and back of the neck and bright yellow face, throat, breast and belly. From the crown to the shoulder, the face is bordered with a black line and the tertial feathers of the wing are tipped with black and white. The eye and

bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

are black and the legs are pink. There is a small amount of

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most an ...

, with the female differing from the male in having a dusky patch on the face. Immature birds of either sexes resemble the female. The three other subspecies resemble the nominate subspecies with minor differences. The subspecies ''P. f. subaurantium'' has darker upperparts and a slight orange tint, and ''P. f. subpallidum'' has much paler upperparts and the most yellow undersides. The identification of goldenface study skins held in

museum collections A museum is distinguished by a collection of often unique objects that forms the core of its activities for exhibitions, education, research, etc. This differentiates it from an archive or library, where the contents may be more paper-based, repla ...

is complicated by the tendency of the plumage colours used to identify the subspecies fading after death.

Behaviour

Insects and spiders form the majority of the diet of this species. These prey items are gleaned from the outer foliage of trees, usually in the midstory, sometimes entering the upper stories of the forest. Goldenfaces will sometimes join

mixed-species feeding flock A mixed-species feeding flock, also termed a mixed-species foraging flock, mixed hunting party or informally bird wave, is a flock of usually insectivorous birds of different species that join each other and move together while foraging. These are ...

s when foraging. Little is known about the breeding biology of the goldenface. It may be slightly seasonal; birds in breeding condition have been found in August and October, and eggs and nestlings have been found from June to November. The

, which is built by both parents, is globular in shape and has a downward pointing side entrance.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2667603 Pachycephalidae Birds described in 1874 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Endemic fauna of New Guinea